DNC, Kaine boost Deeds's coffers

The Democratic National Committee is sending an additional $1 million to aid Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds’s campaign, POLITICO has learned.

The money comes on top of $5 million the party committee has already committed to the Virginia race, one of two governors’ races in the country this fall.

Story Continued Below

“We’re thrilled with the additional commitment from Gov. [Tim] Kaine and the DNC,” said Deeds senior adviser Mo Elleithee. “The fact that they are digging so deep shows that they’re fully committed to Creigh and to this race, and we’re appreciative of their continued support.”

In addition to the cash, the DNC is also sending staffers, technology support and turnout-modeling assistance across the Potomac.

By Election Day next month, Democrats expect the national party’s investment to rival that of the Republican National Committee, which has promised to pump $7 million into Virginia to help Bob McDonnell, the GOP nominee.

The infusion will help the Democrats become more competitive with the Republicans on the airwaves, where, thanks in part to his own national party assistance, McDonnell is outpacing Deeds.

The DNC’s move comes with Deeds trailing in the polls and some prominent national Democrats fretting about his campaign. But with Kaine at the helm of the DNC, the party is emphatic about its commitment to keeping the governor’s mansion in Richmond in Democratic hands.

Like any outgoing governor, Kaine, who is barred by law from seeking reelection, would like to see his own legacy bolstered by voters electing a fellow Democrat. But Deeds is making the contest even more of a referendum on the incumbent by running explicitly on the coattails of Kaine and former Democratic Gov. and now-Sen. Mark Warner, promising to continue governing in their centrist tradition.

Deeds has consistently lagged behind in the polls but received something of a lifeline at the end of the summer when McDonnell’s graduate school thesis was disclosed. The document was filled with far-right views on women and sexuality and lent both fresh ammunition and a convenient peg to the Democratic effort to portray McDonnell as out of the state’s moderate mainstream.

“McDonnell has been on the ropes since it was revealed that he doesn’t think women should work outside the home or that a married couple should have access to contraception, and Creigh Deeds has been on the rise,” said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse. “Since we made our original $5 million commitment to the campaign, we’ve seen the race go from Deeds down double digits to what is now a dead-heat race.”